Ecological Footprint UPDATE

Ecological Footprint UPDATE:

Things that I wanted to improve:

1. Unplugging electronics when not in use (turning off power strip)
2. Turning off my computer when not in use
3. Buying more products with less packaging to decrease waste
4. Take public transportation more frequently (at least 2-3 times a week)
5. Buy more local food (go to Bellingham Farmer's Market)
6. -Only have one bag of trash every 2 weeks

 EDIT:
(New goals for this week 04/8-4/14)
*Only buy ONE plastic bottle beverage a week
- Eat meat only once a week (on-going this week)
*Take water bottle to class every day (no drink purchases at school) 

Changes I have made (so far):

-Every time I'm done using my curling iron/straightener I make sure to unplug it and I have turned off my power strips every time I leave the house and unplug all appliances (except my fridge for obvious reasons and my clock)

-I made leaving my computer on a habit, but now instead of having it hibernate/sleep, I simply shut it down

-I still have a hard time not buying products with a lot of packaging, but I have gotten a LOT better. I now only buy a bottled/plastic or glass container beverage once a week (this includes iced lattes, bottled soda, glass bottled beverages). I struggled with this the week I had the flu (I bought a few plastic Gatorade bottles to help me recover, sadly...)

-I have been to the Farmer's Market twice since it opened and have bought some local food, but there is definitely room for improvement in this area.

-My meat consumption has been cut in half and I want to cut it down to once a week. This one has been the hardest to improve.

New Goals:

Bring reusable bags to grocery stores (cut down plastic bags to 2-3, this being the case if I accidentally forget to bring my bag) 

Take the bus when going to the grocery store (I walk to class and to the farmer's market, but I never take the bus to go to other places)

Try eating completely vegetarian (not vegan) for at LEAST one week

Things I've eaten so far this week to help me eat vegetarian:

• Eggs
• Grilled cheese
• Pasta with alfredo (no chicken)
• Salad 
• Snacks (fruit snacks, granola, Chex Mix)
• Rice
• Thai food (with fried tofu substituted)
• PB&J
• Cereal

It surprisingly hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be so far. COMPLETED!

Take advantage of natural lighting or study outside 

 

Help Remedies- eco-friendly product

Help Remedies 

     I saw these packages in Haggen over this past weekend and decided to research them more. I find it interesting to research new products that intrigue me with their design and I was surprised to find out that they were actually a much better option than most medicine bottles are. Each individual package has medicine for a specific issue. For example one of the packages says "Help I have a headache" and inside of it are acetaminophen pills. They have packages for many different issues such as not being able to sleep, aiding to a blister, one for allergies, and many more. 

The packaging is made of molded paper pulp and bio plastic which is primarily of corn. They are also bio-degradable which is good news to me. 

You can buy the products at helpineedhelp.com. Singles packs cost $4 and six packs cost $20.Vanity Fair has more about Help Remedies here. You can see more photos of the packages here. 

     I think it is important for me to look up products in that are much better than the environment than other alternatives so I can substitute my routine purchases with ones that will have a much lower impact on the environment. This company has done a good job of making a product that is completely bio-degradable still look modern and creative. 

Link to their website:

http://www.helpineedhelp.com/#/

Eco-Friendly Easter Eggs

"Eco Eggs Announces the First 100% Renewable Easter Eggs for Decorating, Crafts, and Egg Hunts"

Minneapolis, MN

November 02, 2011

Eco Eggs Website

     Easter eggs are made from plastic and can cause problems in landfills and are toxic to humans eventually, just like any other plastic would be. Eco Eggs, a division of Maud Borup (chocolate company) released their Eco-friendly Easter eggs that look exactly like the traditional plastic ones we see every year, but instead of being petroleum-based polymers, they use corn starch. Because they are made with corn starch they are 100% renewable and can decompose in industrial compost in just weeks whereas the regular plastic eggs never can. Not only are the eggs not toxic, but they also can be reused each year just like plastic eggs.

   On their website, they stress the importance of reducing our carbon footprint and how easily that could be done by purchasing their environmentally-friendly products. They also sell Eco Grass (similar to the colorful plastic grass featured each year in Easter baskets) also made from corn starch. Eco Eggs are "Biodegradable, Compostable, and Sustainable" as mentioned on their website.

Thinking about how many Easter egg hunts I had when I was younger and how much waste was used, I would not hesitate to switch over to Eco-Eggs. Another concern with regular plastic eggs is how many kids put them in their mouths. Not only would the Eco Eggs be more safe to the environment, but it would also be better for the children health-wise. If everyone who celebrated Easter switched over to these eggs, it would make a huge difference in our carbon footprint and I am curious to see how many people will be making the purchase of Eco Eggs especially since it was released last year after Easter in 2011 had passed. 

For News Video click here


Source: Karen Edwards 

Eco Eggs News Article

Assignment # 2 Toxicity in Products

-None of the ingredients listed on the packaging (see above) were listed on the Toxicity list in OED

I was uneasy to see that my daily face wash was a moderate concern as an overall hazards and wanted to include it in my blog to remind myself to find an alternative, but I was even more concerned to see the results of my lip balm.

-None of the ingredients listed on the packaging were listed on the Toxicity list in OED

I decided to look up a product that I use on occasion, but something that was close to my mouth making it a greater concern since it was something I was potentially ingesting without realizing it. I was shocked to see that the lip balm that I have used since I was younger was such a high health concern and has definitely made me take a step back and look for better products. After seeing the results of many of my products, I searched by category on http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ and saw that there are plenty of alternatives that do not cost any more than what I am already using and that are ranked a zero or as a low health concern.

     I need to pay attention to the chemicals I am ingesting now so that it does not influence my health or reproduction in the future. 

Active Ingredients 

Dimethicone 2% (w/w) (Skin Protectant), 

Octinoxate 7. 5% (w/w) (Sunscreen)

Oxybenzone 2. 5% (w/w) (Sunscreen)

 Inactive Ingredients

Alumina

BIS-PEG-12 Dimethicone Beeswax, Butylparaben, C20-40 Pareth-3, Daucus Carota Sativa Root, Ethylparaben, Flavors, Fruit Extracts, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Hydroxylated Milk Glycerides, Isopropyl Myristate, Myristyl Myristate, Ozokerite, Panthenol, Pantothenic Acid Polypeptide, Polybutene, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Propylparaben, Purified Water, Retinyl Palmitate Polypeptide, Silica, Sodium Saccharin, Squalane, Sucralose, Tetrahexydecyl Ascorbate, Titanium Dioxide, Tridecyl Neopentanoate, Triisononanoin, May Contain Blue 1 Lake, Red 30 Lake, Yellow 10.

OXYBENZONE (2.5% in lip protectant) 

CONCERNS FOR  OXYBENZONE: 

ALLERGIES/IMMUNOTOXICITY
type of concern	product conditions	reference
Possible human photoallergenic toxicant		SCCP (2006)
One or more human case studies show significant photoallergenic effects		Rodriguez E, Valbuena MC, Rey M, Porras de Quintana L, 2006
One or more human case studies show significant photoallergenic effects		Bryden AM, Moseley H, Ibbotson SH, Chowdhury MM, Beck MH, Bourke J, et al, 2006

DEVELOPMENTAL/REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY
type of concern	product conditions	reference
Limited evidence of developmental toxicity		NTP, 1990

USE RESTRICTIONS
type of concern	product conditions	reference
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - restricted for use in some types of cosmetics (concentration limit)		Japan's Standards for Cosmetics

I wanted to research oxybenzone because it is one of three active ingredients in my lip protectant and it also is a chemical in the sunscreen in the lip protectant/sunscreen.


The three highest concerns for the chemical oxybenzone were allergies/immunotoxicity, developmental/reproductive toxicity, and use restrictions. 


Allergies/immunotoxicity states that there is a possibility of human photoallergenic toxicant
Developmental/reproductive toxicity states that there is limited evidence of developmental toxicity 
Restrictions states that it was restricted in some types of cosmetics in Japan

ALTERNATIVE: (for makeup remover, chapstick, moisturizer) 

-None of the ingredients listed on the packaging (see above) were listed on the Toxicity list in OED

The personal care products that I use most frequently are makeup remover and lip balm. I decided to search on the website by category and saw that Vaseline (a cheap, natural product) was on the top list for both categories and also moisturizer! Next time I head to the drug store, I plan on picking up a bottle and eventually substituting it for my hazardous makeup remover, lip balm, and moisturizer. 

     After researching this product I definitely will use this website as a tool before I pick out products and throw out the products with a high health concern. 

Ecological Footprint:

     The image below shows my ecological footprint as of 04/02/12 and states that it would require 4.3 earths to accommodate my current lifestyle. The categories that I could use improvement the most on according to the pie chart below are in services and shelter. Personally, I know I could use more improvement on decreasing my waste especially with processed foods, taking more public transportation, and decreasing my energy consumption.

(source: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/)

Things to improve:

1. Unplugging electronics when not in use (turning off power strip)
2. Turning off my computer when not in use
3. Buying more products with less packaging to decrease waste
4. Take public transportation more frequently (at least 2-3 times a week)
5. Buy more local food (go to Bellingham Farmer's Market)
6. -Only have one bag of trash every 2 weeks

     I would say that this ecological footprint quiz is fairly accurate and I plan on making steps to decrease my footprint overall. The smallest changes can make a huge impact on my ecological footprint. One thing I need to do is to set my computer to hibernate after a few minutes of not being in use. Typically I turn the monitor on when instead I should be turning it off. I am also going to try and turn off power strips and unplug electronics when not in use to decrease my electricity bill in addition to reducing my footprint. Since services is my highest category, I will try and reduce my water usage also by rinsing off dishes immediately after use to save time on doing dishes.
     Overall, it is fairly difficult to decrease the services category since a lot of that percentage is already allocated to us due to societal factors such as health care, entertainment, real estate, etc.

• Services (45%) 
• Shelter (22%)
• Food (14%)
• Goods (10%)
• Mobility (9%)

EDIT:
(New goals for this week 04/8-4/14)
*Only buy ONE plastic bottle beverage a week
- Eat meat only once a week (on-going this week)
*Take water bottle to class every day (no drink purchases at school)

I have done a much better job about turning my computer off when it is not in use, but I definitely could still be better on making sure that I turn off power strips. I did not get a chance to go to the Farmer's Market this weekend (I went home for Easter) but I will be there this weekend to sing with WWU's a'capella group so I have a good excuse to buy some produce while I'm down there.

04/20

I cut down my meat consumption to 2-3 times a week, which was definitely easier to accomplish. I will try to cut it down to once a week eventually, but for now I've cut down my consumption almost in half.
I've been really good about not buying plastic bottles. I've had the occasional latte (made with less plastic waste) but overall I haven't bought ANY plastic bottles this past week. Taking my water bottle to class has helped me cut back a LOT!